THE BASICS: SIUE volleyball continues its 2023 season at home against Eastern Illinois for a pair of matches. The Cougars (12-13, 6-8 OVC) will face the Panthers (22-3, 12-2 OVC) on Friday at 6:00 p.m. before closing the weekend at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.
WEEKEND PROMOS: On Friday and Saturday, active military or veterans will receive free entry without cost. On Friday, youth 12 and under wearing YMCA jerseys will also receive free admission.
SENIOR DAY: The Cougars will honor eight graduating seniors on Saturday: Chelsey Abel, Savannah Christian, Elana Fuller, Julia Treichel, Jenna Taphorn, Priscilla Jones, Alyse Drifka, and Sydney Hummert.
LAST TIME OUT: Morehead State downed SIUE last week, 3-0 and 3-2. The Cougars combined for a .133 attack percentage while outblocking the Eagles 20-18. Hummert led the Cougars' attack last Friday with a season-high 18 kills on 29 swings for a .286 clip. Gabi Andrade also set a career best mark with 28 digs in Friday's five set thriller.
HOME AGAIN: SIUE returns to First Community Arena this weekend. The Cougars are 7-2 overall and 5-1 against conference opponents when playing at home.
THE SERIES: Friday marks the 29th meeting between the Cougars and Panthers dating back to 2008. SIUE owns a 15-13 advantage in the series and have taken seven of the last nine contests between the two schools.
BLOCK PARTY: The Cougars lead the Ohio Valley Conference and rank 40th in the NCAA with 235 total blocks. SIUE has picked up double-digit total blocks in 13 matches, including a season-high 15 vs. SEMO on Sep. 30. Priscilla Jones leads SIUE with 103, good for third in the league. Chelsey Abel's 0.97 blocks per set ranks eighth in the league.
200 KILL CLUB: Two Cougars have registered over 200 kills this season: Sydney Hummert (243) and Priscilla Jones (261). Julia Treichel (147), Chelsey Abel (140), Savannah Christian (116) and Bree Schreimann (115) have recorded over 100 kills. Hummert's 2.66 kills per set leads the team and ranks 11th in the conference.
DIG IT: Banitt's 335 digs this season ranks eighth in the conference. Hummert (262), Drifka (235), Treichel (177), and Corinna Jones (129) are the only other Cougars to tally 100 or more digs this season. SIUE ranks fifth in the OVC and 64th in the country with 1,506 total digs.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: Hummert has tallied double-doubles in eight of SIUE's last 11 contests, dating back to Sep. 30 vs. Southeast Missouri. The junior has 12 double-doubles. Drifka leads the Cougars with 14 this season.
AT CENTER COURT: Drifka leads SIUE and ranks ninth in the OVC with 515 assists. Corinna Jones and Grace Beekman have dished out assists this season with 280 and 192, respectively.
FOLLOW THE ACTION: Stay connected with the Cougars all season long by following @SIUEVolleyball on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
